This is a glossary of both a2z and trade show industry terms. Some of the terms are commonly used acronyms. If you would like to add to our dictionary, please leave a comment with your suggestion.
Common A2Z Terms
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
A
AAW
Attendee Acquisition Widget
Add Booth
Create a new booth on the Floor Plan in Global Admin
Advanced Merge
Function in a2zShow that allows user to create an L or U shaped booth
Air Walls
Movable barriers that partition large areas. May be sound resistant, but not necessarily soundproof.
Aisle
Walkway intended for audience movement through an exposition or exhibit
Aisle Signs
Signage identifying aisles by number or exhibit
AMS
Association Management System
Personify AMS products:
- Personify 360
- Wild Apricot
- MemberClicks
Other AMS Products
- iMis
- NetForum
Application
Potential exhibitor's request to exhibit outlining their exhibiting needs and including a signed contract. Archived Event
Only summary data of an event 3 years after being Deactivated
Assign
Select or designate a booth to an exhibiting company used during Space Draw which acts to Reserve and Confirm the booth in a single step
Associated Company
Company to be merged into the Master Company – see Merge Companies
Association
Group of persons or businesses in a particular trade or industry
Attendee
Individual registered for or participating in an event
Audio/Visual
Equipment, materials and teaching aids used in sound and visual. (Also A/V)
AutoCAD®
Computer assisted design software package previously used by a2z to manage floor plans
B
Backwall
Panel arrangement at rear of booth area.
Badges
The Booth Personnel Management module in a2z, not common sold or used
Bone Yard
Contractor storage area at show site.
Booth
Individual display area constructed to exhibit products or convey a message
Booth Area
Amount of floor space occupied by an exhibitor
Booth Label
Number designated to identify each exhibitor’s space
Booth Labeling – Alternative
Alternate numbers will list Booth Labels in alternating numbers along one side of an aisle such as 100, 102, 104… with 101, 103, 105… on the opposite side of an aisle
Booth Labeling – Sequential
Sequential numbers will display Booth Labels in order such as 100, 101, 102… along one side of an aisle
Booth Size
Dimensions of the floor space contracted by an exhibiting company, usually sold in 10’ x 10’ increments
C
CAD
Computer Aided Design
CFP
Call for Papers module or process
Cancellation Fee
Penalty assessed against exhibiting company for canceling from event
Cancellation Schedule
Dates at which portion of the payment is forfeit for a cancellation
Child Map
Sub-section of a Parent Map
Co-Exhibitor
Exhibiting company sharing a booth space with another company
Competitor
Exhibiting company that competes or is a business rival of another exhibiting company
Conference
Participatory meeting designed for discussion, fact-finding, problem solving and consultation in conjunction with an event
Confirm
Verify a booth to an exhibiting company used post-space draw upon receipt of payment
Confirmation Letter
Letter to exhibiting company acknowledging that a commitment has been made to exhibit
Connect/Matchmaking
Networking tool that allows exhibitors and attendees to request appointments and email each other
Contact
Individual whose data is in the system database May be Company Contact, Attendee, Booth Personnel, Booth Contact, Speaker, Presenter, or Prospect
Contractor
Individual or company providing services or materials to a trade show and/or its exhibitors – see also EDC
Coordinate
Any of a set of two or more numbers used to determine the position of a point, line, curve, or plane in a space of a given dimension with respect to a system of lines or other fixed references
Corner Booth
Exhibit space with exposure on at least two aisles
CRM
Customer Relation Management system
- Salesforce
- SalesLogix
Cross Aisle
Aisle at a right angle to a main aisle
Custom Forms
The Advanced Exhibitor Database module in a2z
Custom Fields
Assorted custom fields in a2z, the module which incorporates them
D
Deactivated Event
Accounting has closed the books on the event and all records are locked
Decline
Remove an exhibiting company from a Reserved booth
Decorator
General Contractor or Service Contractor involved in dressing up exhibition with carpet, draping, furniture, plants, etc.
Delete Booth
Remove a booth from the floor plan
Design & Content (D & C)
Refers to the Website Design & Content module in a2z, i.e. the website skeletal structure module
Dismantle
Take down and removal of exhibits.
Drayage
The unloading of your shipment, transporting it to your booth, storing and returning your empty crates and cartons, and reloading your shipment at the close of the show.
Duration
Length of time for a session
E
eBooth
Enhanced eBooth Module or eBooth profile on the floorplan or exhibitor list
EAC
Exhibitor Appointed Contractor – see EDC
EDC
Exhibitor Designated Contractor who is under contract with and provides production, installation and dismantling services of a display for a specific exhibitor.
Edit
Modify
EMM
Exposition Management & Marketing
- Interactive Floorplan
- Emailing System
- Exhibitor Console (One Stop Shop for your Exhibitor Information)
End Cap
Booth with aisles on three sides
Event
Refers to a meeting, show, expo or convention
Event Web Site
Web site whose primary function is to provide attendees and exhibitors with online tools that help facilitate participation in an upcoming event (Public Site, PS)
Exhibit Hall
Area where the booths for an event are located
Exhibiting Company
Company who is exhibiting at an event
Exhibit Directory
Program book for attendees listing exhibitors and exhibit booth location. (Also SHOW GUIDE)
Exhibitor
Company or individual who displays its products or services at an event
F
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Filtering
Highlighting of the floor plan based on specific criteria. (See also Texturing)
Fin
Refers to the Financial module in a2z
Fin Export
Refers to the Financial Export flavor of integration in a2z
Fire Exit
Door marked for emergency exits that must be kept clear of obstructions
Fire Lane
Aisle marked for emergency passage that must be kept clear of obstructions
Floor Plan
Map showing the layout of exhibit space
Floor Manager
Person retained by show management to supervise exhibit area and assist exhibitors.
FP
Floorplan
Freight Aisle
Aisle to remain clear for incoming freight.
G
GA
Global Admin -Back end administrative system to manage your event
General Contractor.
Organization that provides event management and exhibitors with a wide range of services, sometimes including, but not limited to, installation & dismantle, creating and hanging signage and banners, laying carpet, draping, and providing booth/stand furniture
GSC
General Services Contractor, same as General Contractor
H
Hall
Sub-section of floor plan referring to an actual hall of the event facility associated with booths.
HB
Hosted Buyer
- Automated appointment scheduling based on favoriting behavior and intelligent matchmaking
- Easy-to-use and effective planning, communication and networking tools
- Responsive and adaptive UX that works on all web and mobile devices
- Powerful reporting and analytics available to show organizers for successful behavior analysis
- Compatible with any expo management and conference management solution
- Integrates with leading registration systems
- Comprehensive end user support and branded audience engagement marketing deliver high adoption/utilization
- Provides a secure networking environment while maintaining complete user privacy
HTML
Hypertext markup language used to structure text and multimedia documents and to set up hypertext links between documents, used extensively on the World Wide Web.
I
IFP
Interactive Floorplan
- Enable attendees to search for exhibitors by keywords, categories and advanced options
- Serve personalized planning features along with a printable walking map
- Showcase enhanced exhibitors with high visibility icon and logos on the floor plan
- Feature sponsoring organizations in multiple rotating banner ad zones
- Provide intuitive multi-finger functionality on touchscreens
- Brand with your event's logo and integrate seamlessly with your event website
- Display markings (entrances, exits, etc.) and non-exhibiting spaces with clarity
Invoice (DO NOT USE INVOICE TEMPLATE UNLESS MANUAL FINANCIALS)
Financial document of exhibiting company’s orders and payments for a given booth contract including payment due dates and event-specific text (also see Statement).
Island Booth
Exhibit space with aisles on all four sides.
Island Layout
Actual floor plan as it would be at the event.
K
KPI
Key Performance Indicator
Kiosk
Freestanding pavilion or light structure.
L
Layout
This is the section of the floorplan tools that allows you to manipulate the physical booth. This tab allows you to Merge, Split, Delete, Revive (Bring Back), Move and Resize booth on the floorplan in Global Admin.
M
Marking
Notations on the floor plan such as Aisle Number and space that does not count toward contract with General Contractor.
Mavenlink
Project management and communication tool used by Project Managers for communication and tracking of deployment processes.
Max Fit
See Max Layout.
Max Layout
Floor plan layout with the maximum number of 10x10 booths that can be fit into event facility.
Merge
Combine multiple booths into a single booth.
Merge Companies
Combine duplicate company records into a single Master Company
Move In
Date set for installation or Process of setting up exhibits
Move Out
Date set for dismantling or Process of dismantling exhibits
N
NES
Non-Exhibiting Space that is counted toward contracted space with General Contactor
O
Online Booth Configuration
Set up fields for the Online Booth Profile and define the Upgrade levels
Online Booth Profile
Profile of exhibiting company that is seen by Attendees including address, Booth Label, products and description
P
Parent Company
Company that controls or owns another company or companies
Parent Map
Map made up of Child Maps
Partner Companies
Exhibiting company that is associated with or a partner of another exhibiting company
Pavilion
Area marked on the floor plan as a space reserved for exhibitors belonging to one group
Payment Setup (Schedule)
Dates at which portion of the payment is due
Peninsula
Booth with aisles on three sides
Permissions
User of the system can have access to an Event only if the user has been assigned an access level that meets or exceeds the minimum required access level for that Event
PolyBooth
Non-rectangular shaped booth
Press Release
Prepared statement released to the news media
Priority Points
System of assigning points to exhibiting companies to determine which firms will be allowed to select booth/stand space for the next event first
Program Guide
See Show Directory
Project Manager
Project Managers are responsible for coordinating with other teams to ensure the timely deployment of each event as contracted.
PS
Public Site - the event website used by exhibitors, attendees and speakers.
PS
Professional Services - the team responsible for event deployment and configuration.
PSS
Professional Support Services -previous name for Solution Support Team
R
RAP
Revenue Acceleration Program. (Previously known as RAPP - Revenue Acceleration Partnership Program). Profit Sharing Program at no additional cost to the Event
Registration
Process by which an individual indicates their intent to attend an event
Reserve
Place a booth on hold for an exhibiting company used post-space draw. Once payment is received, reserved booth is confirmed - see confirm
Resize Booth
Change the size of a booth
Restrictions
Areas set on the floor plan that do not allow for booths
Revive Booth
Re-display a previously deleted booth or booths
S
Session
Refers to a lecture, meeting, discussion or presentation in a conference
Show Directory
Listing, with booth/stand numbers, of all the exhibitors in an event and a map showing booth/stand locations
Space Assignment
Booth space assigned to exhibiting company
Space Draw
Process of assigning exhibit space based on the exhibitors’ priority points and booth requirements
Space Rate
Cost per square foot for exhibit area
Speaker
Presenter of a session
Split
Breaking a booth that is larger than 10x10 into multiple 10x10 booths
Sponsorship
Paid opportunity for entity or an exhibitor to increase its visibility at the event
SST or Support
Solution Support Team, responsible for client support after the deployment phase.
Statement
Financial summary of exhibiting company’s all historical orders and payments for a given booth contract including payment due dates and event-specific text (also see Invoice)
SubExpo
Secondary event or exposition happening concurrently and in conjunction with an event
T
Texturing
In Classic floorplan, Highlighting of the floor plan based on specific criteria. See Filtering.
Track
Specific topic within a conference such as Wireless Communication in a conference about communication technologies
Traffic Flow
Movement of people throughout an area.
TSA
Technical Solution Architect - team responsible for hands-on configuration and issue diagnosis.
U
Union
An organization of workers formed for mutual protection and for the purpose of dealing collectively with their employer in wages, hours, working conditions and other matters pertaining to their employment.
Upgrade Level (Partnership)
Enhanced features for exhibitor’s online booth profile
User
Individual with access to the administration controls to the site
V
Vacate
Remove an exhibiting company from an Assigned or Confirmed booth. Used after payment has been posted because it creates a cancellation order.
Verisign Log
The report to view credit card transaction details. May also be called PayPal Log or Credit Card Log.
W
WYSIWYG Tool
editor or program is one that allows a developer to see what the end result will look like while the interface or document is being created. WYSIWYG is an acronym for "what you see is what you get".
X
X Coordinate
Horizontal coordinate
Y
Y Coordinate
Vertical coordinate
Z
Zendesk
The software product containing the support portal which includes product help content such as this article, as well as live chat and ticketing features
Common a2z Terms
GA
GlobalAdmin
PS
Public Site
PS
Professional Services department in a2z
PSS
Refers to the part of Professional Services who handle deployments, i.e. the non-project managers
FP
Floorplan
IFP
Interactive Floorplan
EMM
Exposition Management & Marketing
eBooth
Enhanced eBooth Module or eBooth profile on the floorplan or exhibitor list
OEC
Online Exhibits Contract Module
OBR
Online Booth Reservation sales workflow
OBS
Online Booth Sales sales workflow. Only
BSA
Booth Space Application sales workflow
BSA
Business Solution Architects team
CES
Consultative Exhibit Sales sales workflow
BSP
A generally retired term, replaced by OEC, but stood for Booth Sales Process. You might hear it sometimes.
OSS
Online Sponsorship Sales
Fin
Refers to the Financial module in a2z
AAW
Attendee Acquisition Widget
WSPR
Weekly Sales and Pacing Analytics report. Formerly a purchased module, now implemented via BI Reports.
EAC/EDC
Exhibitor Appointed Contractor/Exhibitor Designated Contractor, terms are interchangable
CFP
Call for Papers module or process
Design & Content
Refers to the Website Design & Content module in a2z, i.e. the website skeletal structure module
Custom Forms
The Advanced Exhibitor Database module in a2z
Custom Fields
Assorted custom fields in a2z, the module which incorporates them
Badges
The Booth Personnel Management module in a2z, not common sold or used
CRM
- Customer Relation Management system
- Salesforce
- SalesLogic
AMS
- Association Management System
- iMis
- NetForum
- Personify
Fin Export
- Refers to the Financial Export flavor of integration in a2z
- Gold Mine
- Great Plains
HB
Hosted Buyer
Connect/Matchmaking
Networking tool that allows exhibitors and attendees to request appt and email eachother
KPI
Key Performance Indicator